System for parametric generation of custom scalable animated characters on the web

ABSTRACT

A graphic character object temporary storage stores parameters of a character and associated default values in a hierarchical data structure and one or more animation object data represented in a hierarchical data structure, the one or more animation object data having an associated animation, the graphic character object temporary storage and the animation object data being part of a local memory of a computer system. A method includes receiving a vector graphic object having character part objects which are represented as geometric shapes, displaying a two dimensional character, changing the scale of a part of the displayed two dimensional character, and storing an adjusted parameter in the graphic character object temporary storage as a percentage change from the default value, displaying a customized two dimensional character, applying keyframe data in an associated animation object data to the character parts objects, and displaying an animation according to the keyframe data.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The subject matter described herein generally relates to the field ofcharacter animation and in particular to a system and method thatenables customization and animation of characters.

2. Background Information

Conventionally, character animation has been used in video games.Character animation in video games typically uses a fixed model andstandardized characters. Conventionally, assets, which include elementsthat are not part of a core body, are created for a limited number ofcharacter types. Conventionally, animation of characters is performed asa series of bitmap images that are used to convey motion. Conventionalbitmap images are difficult to scale without distortion and withoutimpairing smooth animation.

Vector graphics has evolved as an alternative to bitmap images. Vectorgraphics may be scaled proportionally. However, scaling vector graphicsat an arbitrary ratio creates unattractive visual artifacts, such assquashing, skewing and stretching.

There is presently no system for adding animation to custom generated,two-dimensional web based and arbitrarily sized characters.

Graphics processing is a limited resource on mobile devices. Todynamically generate custom characters, assets and animations, one needssubstantial graphics processing power, which is often not available onmobile devices.

Bandwidth is a limited resource on mobile devices. As animations aretypically delivered as a sequence of bitmap images, there is no simpleway to animate an infinite number of characters with set animations as apre-rendered asset.

SUMMARY

This Summary introduces a selection of concepts in a simplified form inorder to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the presentdisclosure. This Summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure,and is not intended to identify key or critical elements of thedisclosure or to delineate the scope of the disclosure. This Summarymerely presents some of the concepts of the disclosure as a prelude tothe Detailed Description provided below.

The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods forparametric generation of custom scalable animated characters on the Web.

Customization may include adding assets to characters and changing thesize (adjusting scale) of the character and assets. Assets may includeelements that are not part of a core body, such as mustache, hair,beard, freckles, tattoos, clothing items, or other accessories. In someaspects, scaling may be arbitrary and there are potentially a largenumber of possible asset permutations. Aspects of the invention alsosimplify effort in creating two dimensional characters and aspects byillustrators by alleviating the need to create character, clothing andaccessory images for various scales. Aspects of the invention simplifyeffort in creation of customized two dimensional characters that arescalable and animation of the customized characters of arbitrary scale.Aspects of the invention enable any number of animations to be specifiedin data objects that are applicable to customized characters ofarbitrary scale.

Aspects of the invention include implementation as an Internetapplication or a self-contained app. Aspects of the invention enableminimization of bandwidth requirements for data transfer, as well asminimal memory usage.

Aspects of the invention provide an entertainment environment as well asa development environment in creation of custom scalable animatedcharacters, as well as creation of characters for inclusion inapplications, such as in education and gaming systems.

An aspect of the invention is a system comprising one or more dataprocessing devices; the one or more data processing devices including alocal memory configured to store a character hierarchical data structurefor maintaining parameter values associated with geometric shapes for avector graphic character, the vector graphic character having aplurality of character part objects represented as the geometric shapes;the one or more data processing devices configured to perform acharacter scaling section that, upon receiving a command to change ascale of one or more of the character part objects of the twodimensional character displayed in an interaction display area of adisplay device, executes vector graphic scaling functions to arbitrarilychange scale of the character part object based on the parameters,stores updated proportions as values of the parameters relative todefault dimensions of the character part objects in the characterhierarchical data structure, and displays in the interaction displayarea of the display device a scaled two dimensional character inaccordance with the updated proportions; the one or more data processingdevices configured to retrieve one or more animation templates from ananimation memory, and apply the animation templates to a basic graphiccharacter having default dimensions in order to display one or moredifferent types of animations of the basic graphic character; the one ormore data processing devices configured to perform an animation sectionthat upon selection of one of the animation templates, applies theselected animation template to the scaled vector graphic character; anddisplay in the display device an animation of the scaled two dimensionalcharacter based on the selected animation template.

In a further aspect of the invention, the one or more data processingdevices are configured to perform a character scaling section that, uponreceiving a further command to change a scale of a two dimensionalcharacter displayed in an interaction display area of a display device,executes vector graphic scaling functions to further arbitrarily changescale of one or more of the character part objects of the vector graphiccharacter, stores further updated proportions relative to defaultdimensions of the character part objects in the character hierarchicaldata structure, and displays in the interaction display area of thedisplay device a revised scaled two dimensional character in accordancewith the further updated proportions;

In a further aspect of the invention, the system includes a graphicaluser interface including: the display displaying one or more assetsretrieved from an asset memory storing vector graphics of assets, theone or more data processing devices configured to perform an assetdisplaying section that upon selection of a graphic asset, renders theselected graphic asset superimposed as a layer over a correspondingcharacter part object as a layer of the vector graphic character todisplay the two dimensional character and superimposed asset in theinteraction display area, and the one or more data processing devicesconfigured to perform an asset scaling section that upon receiving acommand to scale one or more of the character part objects of thegraphic character displayed in the interaction display area, changes thescale of the graphic asset in accordance with the scale of a respectivecharacter part object.

In a further aspect of the invention, the one or more vector graphicassets include clothing, accessories, or additional body features.

In a further aspect of the invention, the system includes a graphiccharacter memory, wherein the graphical user interface further includesa save function, which upon execution of the save function stores thecontents of the character hierarchical data structure into a nonvolatilememory.

In a further aspect of the invention, the one or more data processingdevices configured to perform a reception section for submission ofvector graphic characters and graphic assets for storage to a graphiccharacter storage or a graphic asset storage, respectively.

In a further aspect of the invention, the system includes an Internetbrowser application, wherein the Internet browser application functionsare performed by executing scripting language commands, and the vectorgraphic characters, the character hierarchical data structure, and theanimation templates are hierarchical data objects that are downloadedfrom an Internet server.

In a further aspect of the invention, the system includes an animationapplication processor, which executes scripting language commands of ananimation application, and the vector graphic characters, the characterhierarchical data structure, and the animation templates arehierarchical data objects that are downloaded from a server.

In a further aspect of the invention, the one or more data processingdevices configured to perform the animation section, which uponselection of another one of the animation templates, applies the anotherselected animation template to the scaled vector graphic character inplace of the previously selected animation template; and display in thedisplay device an animation of the scaled two dimensional characterbased on the another selected animation template.

An aspect of the invention is a method in a computer system, thecomputer system including a graphic character object temporary storagethat stores parameters of the character and associated default values ina hierarchical data structure and one or more animation object datarepresented in a hierarchical data structure, the one or more animationobject data having an associated display character animation, thegraphic character object temporary storage and the animation object databeing part of a local memory of the computer system, the methodcomprising: receiving a two dimensional character vector graphic object,the vector graphic object having character part objects which arerepresented as geometric shapes; rendering the two dimensional charactervector object as a displayable image and displaying the image as a twodimensional character; accepting an input to change the scale of a partof the displayed two dimensional character, and converting the displayedscaled part into adjusted parameter values of the correspondinggeometric shape; storing the adjusted parameter in the graphic characterobject temporary storage as a percentage change from the default value;displaying the two dimensional character with the scaled part as acustomized two dimensional character; displaying the one or more displaycharacter animations; for one the display character animation, applyingkeyframe data in the associated animation object data to the characterparts objects; displaying the customized two dimensional character as ananimation according to the keyframe data.

In a further aspect of the invention, the computer system includes oneor more two dimensional asset vector graphic objects for associatedcharacter parts objects, the method further including rendering the oneor more two dimensional vector graphic objects as one or more images ofthe assets, and displaying the asset image as a layer for a respectivecharacter part, accepting a drag operation to change scale of the one ormore asset images, and converting the displayed scaled asset intoadjusted parameter values of the corresponding geometric shape todisplay as a customized two dimensional character; and storing theadjusted parameter in the graphic character object temporary storage asa percentage change from the default value.

In a further aspect of the invention, character parts objects include ajoint and the keyframe data includes a sequence of joint rotationangles.

In a further aspect of the invention, the method includes interactingwith the customized two dimensional character having the displayed assetimage and replacing the asset image with a new asset image for arespective character part, and displaying the customized two dimensionalcharacter with the replaced asset.

Further scope of applicability of the methods and systems of the presentdisclosure will become apparent from the Detailed Description givenbelow. However, it should be understood that the Detailed Descriptionand specific examples, while indicating embodiments of the methods andsystems, are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the concepts disclosedherein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from thisDetailed Description.

These and other aspects are described with respect to the drawings. Theteachings of the disclosed application can be readily understood byconsidering the following detailed description in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system environment according to aspects of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for an example operation of a user interfaceaccording to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows an example displayed image for a two dimensional basiccharacter according to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 4 is an example format for a JSON object for a character accordingto aspects of the invention;

FIG. 5 is an example format for a JSON object for an animation accordingto aspects of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of components in an app configurationaccording to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of components in the case of a networkconfiguration according to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for customizing a character according to aspectsof the invention;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for customizing a character with assets accordingto aspects of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for applying animation to a customized characteraccording to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example general purposecomputing device;

FIG. 12 is a screen showing an example set of hair assets according toaspects of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a screen showing a back layer for the example hair assetaccording to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 14 is a screen showing the back layer formed as a lower layer thanantennas according to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 15 is a screen showing a front layer for the example hair assetformed as a topmost layer according to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 16 is a screen showing an example of a customized characterdisplayed together with a set of available animation types according toaspects of the invention;

FIG. 17 is a screen that depicts a state of an animated character as itis performing an animation in accordance with an animation specificationaccording to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 18 is a screen that depicts a state of an animated character as itis performing an animation in accordance with an animation specificationaccording to aspects of the invention; and

FIG. 19 shows example animation specification data for an animationobject according to aspects of the invention.

The figures depict embodiments of the disclosed invention for purposesof illustration only. One skilled in the art will recognize from thefollowing discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures andmethods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from theprinciples of the invention described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description refers to the accompanying drawings. Thefollowing description is not intended to limit the scope. Instead, thescope is defined by the appended claims.

<Acronyms>

SVG—Scalable Vector Graphics.

JSON—JavaScript Object Notation

XML—eXtensible Markup Language

<System Environment>

Aspects of the present invention apply assets and animation to atwo-dimensional character on the web that has arbitrary geometry, in anenvironment that provides infinite possibilities for characterproportions and a large number (>1.4 quadrillion) of character assetpermutations.

An aspect of the invention is creation and animation of custom scalablecharacters with assets that is suited for use by a large number of usersof a computer network, such as the Internet. Illustrators and artistsmay create basic two dimensional characters and assets to be used incustomizing the basic characters. An aspect of the invention is twodimensional characters and assets that are vector graphic objects. In anexample embodiment the characters and assets may be vector graphicobjects in accordance with Scalable Vector Graphics constructs. ScalableVector Graphics define display images in terms of geometrical features,as opposed to bitmap image data. Although Scalable Vector Graphicsrequires additional processing to create an image from geometricalfeatures, the additional processing can include scaling. As such, usersmay create custom scalable animated characters using characters andassets provided by the illustrators and artists.

Computer networks, such as the Internet, enable interconnection ofvarious types of computing devices. An aspect of the invention is a webapplication that users may use to create custom scalable animatedcharacters on the web. An aspect of the invention is an app that may bedownloaded from another computer on the network to a mobile computingdevice.

In either case of web application or app, an aspect of the invention isa computing device that has locally stored, or has access to storage ofbasic two-dimensional character figures and basic two-dimensionalassets. The term “basic” is used to mean a single two-dimensionalcharacter or asset that may scaled into arbitrary proportions. The term“basic” relates to an aspect that is alternative to a case where anynumber of character or asset images of various proportions are createdfor a given character or asset. In other words, an aspect of theinvention is a single character or asset provided by an illustrator thatmay be computed to an arbitrary scale when being customized by a user,as opposed to an illustrator creating arbitrarily proportioned characterfigures for a given character.

FIG. 1 shows a computer network 100 having some types of computingdevices that may be interconnected. However, one of ordinary skill wouldunderstand that there can be many other types of computing devicesconnected in a computing network. Subsequently, only for illustrativepurposes, FIG. 1 shows desktop computers 150 and 160, tablet or PersonalDigital Assistant (PDA) 140, smartphone 130, laptop computer 120, eachof which are capable of connecting over the network through one or moreserver devices 110. The server devices 110 may be connected to backendprocessors 170, which may make up a data center.

<User Experience>

A user experience is described which presumes interaction with a displayscreen. Operation of the system to accomplish the user experience willbe described later. A user can create an animated character of arbitraryscale by choosing among basic characters and basic assets (hair,clothing and accessories) that have been provided by illustrators andartists, and choosing an animation. Basic characters and basic assetsmay be represented in vector graphics.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram for a general user experience. It is noted thatsome steps are optional, as the user has much leeway in creating acustomized character. For example, a user may choose not to adjust thesize of a character.

An example of a displayed image for a two dimensional character is shownin FIG. 3. An aspect of the invention is that, prior to operation by anend user, basic character objects and asset objects may be sliced intoparts to be expressed as layers. Layers are a construct that enableseparate processing of objects by a web browser. Also, layers are aconstruct that enables graphical objects to be stacked, such thatobjects in higher layers may be displayed, overlapping objects in lowerlayers. In an example embodiment, characters may be sliced into smallerobjects, for example: body, head, legs, arms. The display image shown inFIG. 3 provides a display perspective of the sliced objects, includingarms 401, legs 403, head 405, and body 407. The sliced objects definethe extent that scaling can be applied. In other words, a user maychoose to scale individual sliced objects of a character. In addition,Animation templates may then be created for any character object thatincludes comparable sliced objects of a two dimensional character.Specific examples of character customization and animation are discussedin later sections.

In step S201, a user may select a particular two dimensional characterfrom a set of displayed basic two dimensional characters that are beingdisplayed in a display device, or that may be scrolled into the display,as necessary. The selected two dimensional character may be displayed ina designated area of the display device for further interaction. In stepS203, a body part, such as a leg, arm, body, head, may be selected andadjusted in scale by, for example, dragging an edge of the displayedpart. In an embodiment of the invention, selection of one leg or arm,and adjustment of size of the leg or arm is reflected in the other legor arm to the same extent. In an alternative embodiment, a limb or otherpart may be individually adjusted in size.

While a character is displayed in the interaction display area, varioustypes of assets may be displayed, which may be selected for display inthe interaction display area as an item of clothing or as an accessoryitem for the two dimensional character. In step S205, upon selection ofan asset type, a set of particular assets of the type may be displayed.The user may select a particular asset of the type, and upon selection,the asset may be positioned in the interaction display area as a layer,or layers, for the displayed two dimensional character.

An alternative method of selecting an asset for a part of the character,may be to select a character part displayed in the interaction displayarea. Upon selecting a displayed part, for example the character's body,a set of assets that can be applied to the selected character part maybe displayed. Again, the user may select a particular asset from amongthe set of displayed assets.

In an embodiment of the invention, in the case that a body part has anassociated asset layer, or layers, if the user selects and drags adisplayed asset layer to adjust size, in step S207, the displayed assetwill be adjusted in size. In an alternative embodiment, all layersassociated with an asset may be adjusted in a coordinated fashion to acommon proportion. For example, if a displayed asset is adjusted in sizeby 20 percent, other layers associated with the asset may also beautomatically adjusted by 20 percent. As a further alternative, an assetmay be adjusted in size without affecting the size of the associatedbody part.

In step S209, the user may continue to add more assets to the characterdisplayed in the interaction display area, and make size adjustments toparts of the character. In addition, the user may replace assets thatare displayed on the two dimensional character with an alternativeasset, or group of assets. An aspect of the invention is to select adisplayed character part or select an asset in the case that thedisplayed character part has an existing asset layer or layers. In suchcase, the selection of a new asset will replace the existing asset layeror layers.

At some point, the user can choose, at step S211, to save the customizedcharacter. As an option, a user may decide to exit without saving acustomized object and may start the process over and select a differentcharacter, at step S201.

A saved customized character may be animated. In an embodiment,animation templates are created in advance, and may be selected forapplication to the saved customized character. At step S213, a user mayselect an animation from among displayed animation types. An aspect ofthe invention is a set of animation types that are displayed with theanimation motions being performed for the basic character. Thus, ananimation type is an animation of a basic character. The user may selectan animation type based on an animated basic character. Upon selectingan animation type, step S213, the animation is automatically applied atstep S215 to the character displayed in the interaction display area.Similar to the case of assets, the user may apply alternative animationtypes, one at a time, in order to view the effects of the animationtypes on the character displayed in the interaction display area. Thiscapability of replacing assets with alternative assets, and replacinganimation types with alternative animation types can provide a source ofentertainment for the user. At some point, the user may, at step S217,select to post a finished animation of the customized character to, forexample, another web site, or store the animation of the customizedcharacter for later use.

<Character Object>

An aspect of the invention is a capability of arbitrarily scaling basictwo dimensional characters and assets. Basic two dimensional charactersand assets may be represented in the form of vector graphics. Scalingmay be accomplished by adjusting parameters in vector graphic objects.For example, a head of a character may be represented in a vectorgraphic object as a semi-circle. In such case, the size of a displayedhead can be adjusted by changing the diameter of the semicircle in thevector graphic object. In a similar manner, the arms of a character maybe represented as an oval. The size of displayed arms may be adjusted bychanging the length or width of the oval. In such cases, a change insize of a displayed object may be reflected by scaling other objects bythe same proportion.

An aspect of the invention is maintenance of adjustable parameters ofbasic character parts in a hierarchical data structure, such as JSON orXML. An aspect of the invention is that when a user changes the size ofa displayed character part, the adjusted size may be stored in the JSONobject for the respective character part as, for example, a percentagechange from the initial value of a parameter for the basic character.For example, a head object represented as a semi-circle may have aparameter of diameter. The value of the diameter parameter may be 20percent, which means 20 percent of the diameter of the head of the basiccharacter. By standardizing character parts and assets, any basic twodimensional character that consists of those standardized parts andassets can be scaled for a common set of parameters. In other words, theparameters stored in a JSON object can be associated with many basiccharacters.

Subsequently, an aspect of the invention is a character object dataformat represented as a JSON object that maintains scaling data for abasic character and associated assets. Also, as a two-dimensionalcharacter is re-drawn, scaling data may be updated in the JSON object.

An example character object data format represented as a JSON object isshown in FIG. 4. JSON objects specify attribute-value pairs. In theexample character object data format of FIG. 4, character parts areobjects, each having proportions that are relative to a basictwo-dimensional character. The proportions correspond to values of ascaled basic character. The character part objects may include: arms,legs, head, body, and clothes. The arms object 501 may be used to defineboth arms of a character object. Alternatively, an arm object may beused to define each arm individually.

The arms object 501 may have an attribute “x” that indicates that thewidth of an arm is a percentage of the basic character object's arm(s)width. The arms object 501 may have an attribute “y” that indicates thatthe height of an arm is a percentage of the basic character object'sarm(s) height.

The percentage may be a value that is less than 100%, such as 50%, andmay be a value greater than 100%, such as 150%. In other words, thebasic character's parts may be scaled upward or downward from the basiccharacter part.

In a similar manner, a legs object 503 may be used for both legs of acharacter object. Alternatively, a leg object may be used to define eachleg individually.

The legs object 503 may have an attribute “x” for a percentage of widthof a basic character's leg, and an attribute “y” for a percentage ofheight of a basic character's leg.

Each of a head object 505 and a body object 507 may have an attribute“x” for a percentage of width and an attribute “y” for a percentage ofheight based on the head and body, respectively, of the associated basiccharacter.

In the case of clothes and accessories, a clothes object 509 maintainsprefixes for asset file names. In this manner an asset object is createdfor the associated basic object. Initially, a character object may haveclothes attributes that have values that represent a blank asset.Clothes attributes may be assigned alternative values as assets arereplaced with alternative assets.

Other parameters of a character object may include skin color and haircolor. In addition, an optional parameter of a character object mayinclude a theme. In an example embodiment, a theme may be a sport, aschool, a popular game or movie, etc., that indicates a category ofclothing and animation. As an example, a theme may be NBA basketball, inwhich case the character object can be customized for a particular NBAteam, having team-related assets. In an example embodiment, a team mayhave an associated color palette for special team colors that may beused to modify color of fill areas designated as theme-modifiable.

<Animation Object>

In order to simplify creation of animations for a large number of twodimensional characters, data for specifying an animation type may bestored in a hierarchical data structure, in a similar manner as in thecase of a character object. Such an approach alleviates a need to createcode to animate each character.

An aspect of the invention is an animation data object that representsanimation effects that are applicable to any scaled two dimensionalcharacter. In other words, an animation data object provides animationdata for a two dimensional character, in which the types of data areindependent of the scale of the character. Subsequently, a singleanimation data object is applicable to a two dimensional character ofany arbitrary scale.

For example, character SVG objects may define legs as geometricelements, including a joint(s). Provided such a representation, anannotation data object can be configured to specify a rotation of alimb, such as a leg, in terms of relative positions from a joint socketand a sequence of joint rotations, thereby specifying animation typesthat are independent of scale. In addition, provided an animation dataobject that is independent of scale of a character, a large number ofanimation objects may be applied to a two dimensional character ofarbitrary scale. Also, an aspect of the animation data object is arepresentation that is independent of display aspect ratio.Subsequently, the animation data object is applicable to display devicesof various sizes and display resolutions.

An example format for an animation data object represented as a JSONobject is shown in FIG. 5. The animation data object 600 may have a“duration” parameter 601 that specifies the length of the animation inframes. An aspect of the invention is a default frame “poster frame” 603to be incorporated if the animation needs to be depicted in a stillimage.

An aspect is two dimensional characters that are vector graphics thathave been sliced into parts represented as layers. For example, acharacter's right leg may be designated as a layer and a left leg may bedesignated as another layer. Each layer may be individually subject toan animation effect. An aspect of the invention is character objects,including layers that are created as vector graphics. An aspect isanimation effects that can be applied to vector graphics. Layersrepresented in vector graphic objects may include a joint and anassociated joint socket. An aspect of the invention is an animationobject that specifies a sequence of joint rotations and relativepositions of joint sockets.

The example format of an animation data object 600 shown in FIG. 5enables the scale-independent aspects of animation. The format of theanimation data object 600 may include a list of animation layer keyframeobjects. Each layer keyframe object 605 may be designated by “layername” and “property name.” Properties are animation effects that may beapplied to a layer. Properties may include “position”, “rotation”, and“scale”.

Subsequently, examples of animation layer keyframe objects may includesuch layer-property pairs as:

-   -   “head” “rotation”,    -   “right-arm” “rotation”,    -   “left-arm” “rotation”,    -   “body” “rotation”,    -   “left-leg” “rotation”,    -   “right-leg” “rotation”,    -   “left-foot”, “rotation”,    -   “right-foot”, “rotation”,    -   “left-eye”, “scale”,    -   “right-eye”, “scale”,    -   “left-blink”, “scale”,    -   “right-blink”, “scale”,    -   “left-antenna”, “rotation”,    -   “right-antenna”, “rotation”.

For purposes of relative positioning, a “master” layer and “position”may be specified for an animation data object 600.

The layer names reflect layers of a two dimensional vector graphiccharacter. Thus, choice and extent of layers and names areuser-generated, and are thus, not limited to the above example names.However, provided that animation effects are scale-independent, basiccharacters may be created with consistent layers so that a singleanimation data object is applicable to any of several basic characters.

The format for animation layer keyframe objects may include an initialvalue 607, a start frame 609, a duration 611, and value of each keyframe613. Keyframe values vary depending on the property. For example, aproperty of position may be a three dimensional value (x, y, z). Aproperty of rotation may be represented as an array of length one, whereeach value may represent an angle.

The initial value 607 is a value of the property for the animationtimeline's first frame. The start frame 609 is the frame at whichkeyframe values begin. In an example embodiment, all frames precedingthe start frame may have a value of the initial value 607. The duration611 is the length of the keyframe's timeline. In an example embodiment,the duration 611 is the frame position of the property's last keyframe,which is based on the value of start frame 609. For example, a value ofduration 611 of 43 and a value of start frame 609 indicates that theproperty begins at keyframe 11 and continues to the property's lastkeyframe of 43, over a period of 33 keyframes.

The example of keyframe values shown in FIG. 5 indicates positions ofthe layer at each keyframe. In an example embodiment, the values of theproperty at each of the keyframes 613 represent values at a predefinedframe rate (designated as frames per second (fps)). The frame rate foranimations is set beforehand by the system that processes theanimations. The frame rate may be set to any value. However, frame ratesmay be set to typical intervals of systems that the animations are to beexecuted. A typical value for frame rate is 24 fps. In such case, valuesof keyframes would be based on an assumption that 24 frames would beprocessed in one second.

<Application>

An aspect of the invention is an app that may be downloaded to any ofthe computing devices 120-160 connected over the network. An aspect ofthe invention is a Web application that may be performed using a Webbrowser running on any of the computing devices 120-160. In the case ofa Web application, various processes may be performed locally anddivided between operations performed at the server device 110, 170 andoperations performed at the local device 120-160.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram for a configuration of a computing device 700(for example any of 120-160) in which an app for animation creation isdownloaded from the server device 110, 170. In such case, a program,such as a script, 721, controls processing that takes place during useof the app. As mentioned above, illustrators and artists may providebasic two dimensional characters and assets, which in turn may be storedin some form of storage, for example, in a data storage accessible bythe server device 110, or stored in the server device 110 itself. Theanimation program 721 may access characters and assets from the externalstorage associated with the server device 110, as needed, or maydownload a group of basic characters and assets at the time ofdownloading of the app, or at a later time. In an example embodiment,basic two dimensional character vector graphic objects may be stored ina storage 711, basic asset vector graphic objects may be stored in astorage 713.

Animation data objects that are applicable to any of a variety ofcharacters may be stored in a storage 715.

One of ordinary skill would understanding that each storage 711, 713,715 may be volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, and could be adetachable programmable ROM or Flash memory device.

An aspect of the invention is SVG objects as graphic objects and JSONobjects as data objects. A basic two dimensional character may itself berepresented in one or more SVG objects. In a similar manner, a twodimensional asset may be represented in one or more SVG objects. FIG. 6shows a configuration in which the application program 721 has access toSVG objects 701 and JSON objects 703.

An aspect of the invention is an application program 721 that includes aJavaScript library. The JavaScript library is a set of functions thatare applicable to all basic two dimensional characters and animations.Parameters that may be adjusted for purposes of scaling and performinganimation are maintained in the JSON objects for character objects (FIG.4) and animation data objects (FIG. 5). The JavaScript library mayinclude character scaling functions, asset scaling functions, animationfunctions and display functions. The JavaScript library may also includegeneral graphics processing functions, such as raster conversionfunctions that draw images from the vector graphics and render theimages for display. One of ordinary skill in the art would understandingthat other computer languages may be used in the application program721, such as Java, C, C++, Python, to name a few computer languages.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram for an alternative configuration in which acomputing device 300 (for example any of 120-160) includes at least oneWeb browser that is capable of processing SVG and the programminglanguage(s) of a Web application, such as JavaScript. An aspect of theinvention is any Web browser that has been configured to handle HTML 5and SVG, as well as JavaScript. FIG. 7 shows a configuration in whichthe Web Browser 821 processes HTML 5 803 and JavaScript 801 code of theWeb application, which in turn may access SVG objects and JSON objects805. Storage for initially downloaded basic character vector graphicobjects 811, basic asset vector graphic objects 813 and animation dataobjects 815 may also be provided in a local memory device.

In a similar manner as in application program 721, the same JavaScriptlibrary may be included in the JavaScript 801 to be processed in the Webbrowser 821.

Example

An aspect of the invention is that illustrators and artists can providea large number of two dimensional characters without having to alsocreate a large number of characters of various sizes, and variousanimations may be performed with the characters without having to createan animation for each size variation. FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 are flowchartsfor the operation of the invention that enable creation of a largenumber of characters of arbitrary scale in combination with a largenumber of character asset permutations based on a much lower number ofbasic characters, and a capability of performing any of a variety ofanimations of the characters of arbitrary scale.

At step S901, basic two dimensional characters represented as vectorgraphics may be submitted by illustrators and artists and stored, inorder to be used in creation of custom characters. In order for scalingand animation to be performed at a finer degree than at the level of awhole two dimensional character, at step S903 the two dimensionalcharacters represented in vector graphics may be spliced intorecognizable parts, such as limbs, head, body. In addition, animationdata objects that are previously defined may serve as a basis for theextent that characters are spliced. In other words, the layers specifiedin animation data objects may serve as a basis for defining parts to besliced out. The opposite is also true, where a degree of splicing ofcharacters into parts can be used in designating layers for animation inanimation data objects. An aspect of the invention is that characterparts spliced from a two dimensional character match layers in animationdata objects that may be used to animate a two dimensional character.

An aspect of the invention is an app that can be downloaded and used tocreate customized two-dimensional characters from the basic characters.Upon execution of the app, basic two dimensional vector graphiccharacters can be retrieved and in step S905, processed for display. Atany time during character customization, the app allows for selection ofa basic character. At step S907, a basic character can be selected fromamong the displayed basic characters. In an example embodiment, at stepS909 a selected basic character may be displayed in a location of thescreen that enables customization of the selected character. An aspectof the invention is that an alternative basic character may be selectedat step S911 in a case that it is desired to customize a different basiccharacter.

A first type of customization can include resizing (adjusting scale) allor some of the sliced character parts at step S913. An aspect of theinvention is two dimensional characters represented in vector graphicsas opposed to raster images. In an example embodiment, two-dimensionalcharacters may be created as Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG) objects. SVGobjects are hierarchical data representations of geometric shapes thatmake up an object to be displayed. Although SVG objects requireprocessing to form a displayed image, SVG provides a data representationthat allows for arbitrary scaling without unattractive visual artifacts,such as squashing, skewing and stretching. An aspect of the invention isreal-time adjustment of scale of the selected two dimensional character,and in particular adjusting scale of displayed parts, represented as SVGobjects. Visually, a displayed character part may be resized by draggingan edge of the character part. Dimensions of a resized part aremaintained in a JSON object that is associated with the selectedcharacter. The JSON object may be in the format of a character object asshown in FIG. 4. At this point, a JSON object may be stored locally involatile memory in order to accommodate real-time maintenance ofdimension data. Step S913 of adjustment of basic character dimensions isoptional, or may be performed for just some displayed parts of theselected basic character.

An aspect of customization is the creation and application of assets tothe basic character. Assets may include an element that is not part ofthe core body, including mustache, beard, hair, articles of clothing orother accessories. In addition, an aspect of the invention is automaticasset color modification based on a theme. In an example embodiment, atheme may be a sport, such as NBA basketball, where colors may beautomatically modified to reflect a team's colors. FIG. 9 is a flowchartfor customization of a selected basic character with assets.

At step S1001, assets may be created and submitted and stored in anasset storage as vector graphics. As such, assets may be submitted asscalable graphic vector (SVG) objects that may be resized.

At step S1003, a set of assets may be displayed for selection while thepreviously selected basic character is being displayed. Alternatively,part of a displayed basic character may be selected, which causes a setof assets for the selected part to be displayed. FIG. 12 is an examplescreen showing a basic character 1201 and a set of hair assets 1203.

At step S1005, an asset may be selected from among the displayed groupof basic assets.

An aspect of the invention is assets represented as one or more layers.

Asset layers may include:

-   Shirt    -   body—the main part of the shirt; the shirt is scaled        proportionally and cropped to the body; the basic shirt-body        part is typically much bigger than the body part.    -   top—drawn on top of the body; the top scales in width and        height, useful for tattoos, chest hair, etc.    -   arm—the arm part of the shirt; the arm part scales in width and        height to the arm.    -   bottom—just like top, only it is drawn before the skirt layer in        pants.-   Pants    -   leg—the main part of the pants; the leg is scaled in width and        height.    -   top—drawn on top of the pants; the top scales proportionally        with the width of the leg.    -   skirt—scales the same way as top, but only drawn once as opposed        to once per leg. Skirt layers are usually designed so that they        hug the top of the “waist” of the character (the part of the        body near the bottom before it starts to taper off).-   Hair    -   back—is drawn behind the head; A default color is replaced with        the current hair color.    -   front—is drawn on top of the head. (using a default color).    -   backextra and frontextra—(e.g. ribbon) are the same as the back        and front; The colors don't change with the hair color.-   Accessories (each accessory is of one of these types)    -   earring—moves/scales with the antenna.    -   onlefthand and onrighthand—things like watches that are on the        hand.    -   inlefthand and inrighthand—items that are held in the hand.    -   onbothhands—usually for gloves.    -   sleeve—used for wristbands or other accessories that sit on the        arm rather than in the hand.    -   body—on the body, for example, a necklace.    -   face—on the face, for example, freckles.    -   mouth—in/on the mouth, for example, a pipe.    -   hat—is on the head, but below glasses, for example, a headband        or a skullcap.    -   head—this is the same as hat, but it is above glasses; Used for        bigger hats like a cowboy hat.        Other assets (glasses, shoes, etc.) don't have any special        layers.

Using the hair asset as an example, FIG. 13 shows a back layer 1301 forthe hair asset. As may be seen in FIG. 14, the back layer 1301 may beformed as a lower layer than antennas 1401. As may be seen in FIG. 15, afront layer 1501 for the hair asset may be formed as a topmost layer. Insuch case, the hair asset may be in the form of multiple layers 1301,1501, possibly having layer relationships with character part objects,which are also layers.

Back to FIG. 9, at step S1007, a selected asset may be rendered as alayer of the displayed basic character and displayed at a position thatdepends on the type of asset. In a case that the part of the basiccharacter that the asset is to be associated with has been adjusted insize, dimensions of the asset may be adjusted to conform to thedimensions of the associated character part.

At any point, at step S1009 an alternative to the selected asset mayinstead be selected as a replacement asset for an asset that iscurrently displayed on a character. Replacement of an asset may beperformed by selection of an asset that is associated with a characterpart that already has a displayed asset. Replacement of an asset may beperformed by an update function that includes clearing of the existingdisplayed asset, and combining a selected asset with a character part.In an example embodiment, an asset may be combined with a character partby creating a sprite. Interactive replacement of assets for anassociated part of a character enables ultimate flexibility in themixing of combinations of assets.

A character part having an associated asset may be resized (adjusted inscale) at step S1011. In the case of a part displayed as an asset layerof the displayed character, at step S1013 an aspect of the invention maybe to resize each layer including the part itself and the associatedasset. As an alternative, an aspect of the invention may be to resizeonly the layer that displays the asset. An aspect of the invention maybe to combine two or more character parts and/or combine character partswith assets by grouping associated objects. As displayed character partsand assets are resized, the proportion of change relative to a defaultobject may be maintained in a JSON object, such as that shown in FIG. 4.

At step S1015, assets can continue to be selected from among variousassets in the set of displayed assets.

At any point during selection of assets for display as layers in acustomized character, operation of customization of a character may berestarted, by for example selecting reset icon 1503, as shown in FIG.15. In such case, basic characters can be redisplayed for selection,step S905. Steps involved in customizing a character may be finalized bychoosing to save a customized character at step S1017, by for exampleselecting next icon, as shown in FIG. 15. An aspect of the invention issaving a customized character by moving the character object in the formof a JSON object, such as that shown in FIG. 4, to a nonvolatile memory.

Provided that displaying of two dimensional characters is performed fromvector graphics, animations may be made by way of changing attributes ofgeometric elements of the vector graphics. Essentially, each part of thecharacter is able to be scaled, as well as rotated and translated. Bychanging scale, rotation, and/or translation on a timeline, thecharacter may be animated.

In an example embodiment, character animation may be based oncoordinates for all the relevant body parts. Each coordinate is aproperty that can be animated. The animations are specified inindividual key frames per property that specify the change of a bodypart over time.

For example, properties of an arm may be arm length, arm rotation, armanchor point. An arm may be anchored around the shoulder and rotated bya certain degree. In the first frame it may be rotated by 0°, in thesecond frame it may be rotated by 5+ and so on.

The animations may be created with a sample character having averagesizes for the individual limbs. The limb coordinates may be applied tothe character, independently of the character's customized bodyproportions. However, an aspect of the invention is a parametric systemthat uses relative values for all coordinates, and can be adjusteddepending on customized characters.

Subsequently, an aspect of the invention is a technique that includesspecifying rotation animations as a sequence of joint rotations orrelative positions from joint sockets, and storing the animationsequence data in a hierarchical data structure, such as the JSON objectof FIG. 5. Alternatively, data structures in other markup languages maybe used to store animation data, such as XML. Other animation propertiesmay include position and scale.

The technique enables animation of characters without having to createbeforehand graphic images for each frame of an animation. As such, thetechnique greatly simplifies creation of animations by minimizing theamount of data needed to specify an animation, while only requiringcreation of a basic two dimensional character. The technique enables asubstantially reduced amount of memory for storage and reduced bandwidthfor transmission of animations. The technique enables creation of alarge number of animations for any two-dimensional character. Thetechnique enables a specification for an animation that is applicable tomany customized characters irrespective of scale.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for steps that may be taken to create animationsand apply the animations to custom scaled characters. A developer maychoose layers and properties that are identified for a basic characterfor use in creating an animation. In the example case of the formatshown in FIG. 5, a developer can create an animation specification thatincludes data objects for each layer and property combination that areto be included. Each data object for a layer and property may include aninitial value of the property, a start frame that the initial frame willbe effective, a duration of the animation sequence, and values for theframes of the animation sequence. In an example embodiment, the list oflayer-property combinations for an animation are stored in a JSONobject. Step S1101 is a step of creating and storing of an animationspecification.

At step S1103, after a user has created and saved a customizedcharacter, the user can choose to apply an animation. In an exampleembodiment, a set of basic animations may be displayed. Each animationmay be displayed in a form of a reduced size basic two dimensionalcharacter, with the respective animation specification being performedin a continuous manner. In other words, the display may show severalreduced characters cycling through their respective animation sequence.Each reduced character may have an associated character object, such asthat shown in FIG. 4, including dimension parameters having values thatindicate a fraction of an associated default value for a basiccharacter. The animation specifications being in the form of ananimation object, such as that shown in FIG. 5. The animation objectsmay be independent of the scale of the character object.

The number of animated characters being displayed is based on the sizeof a display device. For small screen sizes, such as in smartphones,each animated character may be displayed based on a substantially smallscale suitable for the dimensions of the display. The display of basicanimated characters may be in a row along a bottom border of the screen.Alternatively, the display of the basic animated characters may be alongedges of a display screen, including a column along the right or leftedge of the screen, or a top row of the screen.

FIG. 16 shows an example of a customized character displayed togetherwith a set of available animation types 1601. At step S1105 of FIG. 10,while the two dimensional customized character is being displayed, oneof the basic animations may be selected from among the set of basicanimation types 1601 may be displayed for a basic character. Uponselection of a basic animation type, at step S1107 the animationspecification associated with the selected basic animation is applied tothe two dimensional customized character. FIGS. 17 and 18 depict statesof an animated character as it is performing an animation in accordancewith the animation specification. As can be seen in these figures, alllayers of a customized character, including assets, may be subject toanimation data for particular layer-property combinations as provided inthe animation specification. FIG. 19 shows example animationspecification data for an animation object.

At step S1109 (YES), an alternative basic animation may be selected, inwhich case, the alternative basic animation may be applied in place ofthe previously selected animation. Steps S1105 to S1109 may be repeatedas the user desires.

At some point, at step S1111 the final animation of the customizedcharacter may be sent to a permanent storage location. In an exampleembodiment, the final animation may consist of a basic character, basicassets, a JSON object for the customized character, and a JSON objectfor the selected animation. These items may be moved to another storagelocation for future display. For example, the animated customizedcharacter may be posted to a web site for display. Alternatively, thebasic character, basic asset(s) and associated JSON objects may beincorporated into an application.

An aspect of the invention includes mixing and matching basic charactersof arbitrary scale with combinations of assets, and trying any ofseveral animations on the customized character, as a game. An aspect ofthe invention is creation of customized characters and variousanimations for incorporation into applications, such as video games. Anaspect of the invention is the creation of a personal animatedcharacter.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing device 2000that is arranged for creating custom scalable animated characters on theweb. In a very basic configuration 2001, computing device 2000 typicallyincludes one or more processors 2010 and system memory 2020. A memorybus 2030 can be used for communicating between the processor 2010 andthe system memory 2020.

Depending on the desired configuration, processor 2010 can be of anytype including but not limited to a microprocessor (μP), amicrocontroller (μC), a digital signal processor (DSP), or anycombination thereof. Processor 2010 can include one more levels ofcaching, such as a level one cache 2011 and a level two cache 2012, aprocessor core 2013, and registers 2014. The processor core 2013 caninclude an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a floating point unit (FPU), adigital signal processing core (DSP Core), or any combination thereof. Amemory controller 2015 can also be used with the processor 2010, or insome implementations the memory controller 2015 can be an internal partof the processor 2010.

Depending on the desired configuration, the system memory 2020 can be ofany type including but not limited to volatile memory (such as RAM),non-volatile memory (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.) or any combinationthereof. System memory 2020 typically includes an operating system 2021,one or more applications 2022, and program data 2024. Application 2022includes an animation app 2023. Program Data 2024 includes structureddata objects 2025, as described above. In some embodiments, application2022 can be arranged to operate with program data 2024 on an operatingsystem 2021. This described basic configuration is illustrated in FIG.20 by those components within dashed line 2001.

Computing device 2000 can have additional features or functionality, andadditional interfaces to facilitate communications between the basicconfiguration 2001 and any required devices and interfaces. For example,a bus/interface controller 2040 can be used to facilitate communicationsbetween the basic configuration 2001 and one or more data storagedevices 2050 via a storage interface bus 2041. The data storage devices2050 can be removable storage devices 2051, non-removable storagedevices 2052, or a combination thereof. Examples of removable storageand non-removable storage devices include magnetic disk devices such asflexible disk drives and hard-disk drives (HDD), optical disk drivessuch as compact disk (CD) drives or digital versatile disk (DVD) drives,solid state drives (SSD), and tape drives to name a few. Examplecomputer storage media can include volatile and nonvolatile, removableand non-removable media implemented in any method or technology forstorage of information, such as computer readable instructions, datastructures, program modules, or other data.

System memory 2020, removable storage 2051 and non-removable storage2052 are all examples of computer storage media. Computer storage mediaincludes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or othermemory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or otheroptical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which canbe used to store the desired information and which can be accessed bycomputing device 2000. Any such computer storage media can be part ofdevice 2000.

Computing device 2000 can also include an interface bus 2042 forfacilitating communication from various interface devices (e.g., outputinterfaces, peripheral interfaces, and communication interfaces) to thebasic configuration 2001 via the bus/interface controller 2040. Exampleoutput devices 2060 include a graphics processing unit 2061 and an audioprocessing unit 2062, which can be configured to communicate to variousexternal devices such as a display or speakers via one or more A/V ports2063. Example peripheral interfaces 2070 include a serial interfacecontroller 2071 or a parallel interface controller 2072, which can beconfigured to communicate with external devices such as input devices(e.g., keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device,etc.) or other peripheral devices (e.g., printer, scanner, etc.) via oneor more I/O ports 2073. An example communication device 2080 includes anetwork controller 2081, which can be arranged to facilitatecommunications with one or more other computing devices 2090 over anetwork communication via one or more communication ports 2082. Thecommunication connection is one example of a communication media.Communication media may typically be embodied by computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in amodulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transportmechanism, and includes any information delivery media. A “modulateddata signal” can be a signal that has one or more of its characteristicsset or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal.By way of example, and not limitation, communication media can includewired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, andwireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR) andother wireless media. The term computer readable media as used hereincan include both storage media and communication media.

Computing device 2000 can be implemented as a portion of a small-formfactor portable (or mobile) electronic device such as a cell phone, apersonal data assistant (PDA), a personal media player device, awireless web-watch device, a personal headset device, an applicationspecific device, or a hybrid device that include any of the abovefunctions. Computing device 2000 can also be implemented as a personalcomputer including both laptop computer and non-laptop computerconfigurations.

There is little distinction left between hardware and softwareimplementations of aspects of systems; the use of hardware or softwareis generally (but not always, in that in certain contexts the choicebetween hardware and software can become significant) a design choicerepresenting cost vs. efficiency trade-offs. There are various vehiclesby which processes and/or systems and/or other technologies describedherein can be effected (e.g., hardware, software, and/or firmware), andthat the preferred vehicle will vary with the context in which theprocesses and/or systems and/or other technologies are deployed. Forexample, if an implementer determines that speed and accuracy areparamount, the implementer may opt for a mainly hardware and/or firmwarevehicle; if flexibility is paramount, the implementer may opt for amainly software implementation; or, yet again alternatively, theimplementer may opt for some combination of hardware, software, and/orfirmware.

The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments ofthe devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts,and/or examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and/orexamples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will beunderstood by those within the art that each function and/or operationwithin such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented,individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software,firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. In one embodiment,several portions of the subject matter described herein may beimplemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), orother integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art willrecognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, inwhole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in integratedcircuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or morecomputers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computersystems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors(e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors),as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designingthe circuitry and/or writing the code for the software and or firmwarewould be well within the skill of one of skill in the art in light ofthis disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capableof being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, andthat an illustrative embodiment of the subject matter described hereinapplies regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium usedto actually carry out the distribution. Examples of a signal bearingmedium include, but are not limited to, the following: a recordable typemedium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a Compact Disc (CD), aDigital Video Disk (DVD), a digital tape, a computer memory, etc.; and atransmission type medium such as a digital and/or an analogcommunication medium (e.g., a fiber optic cable, a waveguide, a wiredcommunications link, a wireless communication link, etc.).

Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common within the artto describe devices and/or processes in the fashion set forth herein,and thereafter use engineering practices to integrate such describeddevices and/or processes into data processing systems. That is, at leasta portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can beintegrated into a data processing system via a reasonable amount ofexperimentation. Those having skill in the art will recognize that atypical data processing system generally includes one or more of asystem unit housing, a video display device, a memory such as volatileand non-volatile memory, processors such as microprocessors and digitalsignal processors, computational entities such as operating systems,drivers, graphical user interfaces, and applications programs, one ormore interaction devices, such as a touch pad or screen, and/or controlsystems including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback forsensing position and/or velocity; control motors for moving and/oradjusting components and/or quantities). A typical data processingsystem may be implemented utilizing any suitable commercially availablecomponents, such as those typically found in datacomputing/communication and/or network computing/communication systems.

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singularterms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from theplural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as isappropriate to the context and/or application. The varioussingular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sakeof clarity.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, otheraspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art.The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes ofillustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scopeand spirit being indicated by the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: one or more dataprocessing devices; said one or more data processing devices including alocal memory configured to store a character hierarchical data structurefor maintaining parameter values associated with geometric shapes for avector graphic character, the vector graphic character having aplurality of character part objects represented as the geometric shapes;said one or more data processing devices configured to perform acharacter scaling section that, upon receiving a command to change ascale of one or more said character part objects of the two dimensionalcharacter displayed in an interaction display area of a display device,executes vector graphic scaling functions to arbitrarily change scale ofthe character part object based on said parameters, stores updatedproportions as values of said parameters relative to default dimensionsof the character part objects in the character hierarchical datastructure, and displays in the interaction display area of the displaydevice a scaled two dimensional character in accordance with the updatedproportions; said one or more data processing devices configured toretrieve one or more animation templates from an animation memory, andapply the animation templates to a basic graphic character havingdefault dimensions in order to display one or more different types ofanimations of the basic graphic character; said one or more dataprocessing devices configured to perform an animation section that uponselection of one of said animation templates, applies the selectedanimation template to the scaled vector graphic character; and displayin the display device an animation of the scaled two dimensionalcharacter based on the selected animation template.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, wherein said one or more data processing devices are configuredto perform a character scaling section that, upon receiving a furthercommand to change a scale of a two dimensional character displayed in aninteraction display area of a display device, executes vector graphicscaling functions to further arbitrarily change scale of one or moresaid character part objects of the vector graphic character, storesfurther updated proportions relative to default dimensions of thecharacter part objects in the character hierarchical data structure, anddisplays in the interaction display area of the display device a revisedscaled two dimensional character in accordance with the further updatedproportions.
 3. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a graphicaluser interface including: the display displaying one or more assetsretrieved from an asset memory storing vector graphics of assets, saidone or more data processing devices configured to perform an assetdisplaying section that upon selection of a graphic asset, renders theselected graphic asset superimposed as a layer over a correspondingcharacter part object as a layer of the vector graphic character todisplay the two dimensional character and superimposed asset in theinteraction display area, and said one or more data processing devicesconfigured to perform an asset scaling section that upon receiving acommand to scale one or more said character part objects of the graphiccharacter displayed in the interaction display area, changes the scaleof the graphic asset in accordance with the scale of a respectivecharacter part object.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or morevector graphic assets include clothing, accessories, or additional bodyfeatures.
 5. The system of claim 3, further comprising a graphiccharacter memory, wherein said graphical user interface further includesa save function, which upon execution of the save function stores thecontents of the character hierarchical data structure into a nonvolatilememory.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein said one or more dataprocessing devices configured to perform a reception section forsubmission of vector graphic characters and graphic assets for storageto a graphic character storage or a graphic asset storage, respectively.7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an Internet browserapplication, wherein said Internet browser application functions areperformed by executing scripting language commands, and the vectorgraphic characters, the character hierarchical data structure, and theanimation templates are hierarchical data objects that are downloadedfrom an Internet server.
 8. The system of claim 1, further comprising ananimation application processor, which executes scripting languagecommands of an animation application, and the vector graphic characters,the character hierarchical data structure, and the animation templatesare hierarchical data objects that are downloaded from a server.
 9. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein said one or more data processing devicesconfigured to perform said animation section, which upon selection ofanother one of said animation templates, applies the another selectedanimation template to the scaled vector graphic character in place ofthe previously selected animation template; and display in the displaydevice an animation of the scaled two dimensional character based on theanother selected animation template.
 10. A method in a computer system,the computer system including a graphic character object temporarystorage that stores parameters of the character and associated defaultvalues in a hierarchical data structure and one or more animation objectdata represented in a hierarchical data structure, the one or moreanimation object data having an associated display character animation,the graphic character object temporary storage and the animation objectdata being part of a local memory of the computer system, the methodcomprising: receiving a two dimensional character vector graphic object,the vector graphic object having character part objects which arerepresented as geometric shapes; rendering the two dimensional charactervector object as a displayable image and displaying the image as a twodimensional character; accepting an input to change the scale of a partof the displayed two dimensional character, and converting the displayedscaled part into adjusted parameter values of the correspondinggeometric shape; storing the adjusted parameter in the graphic characterobject temporary storage as a percentage change from the default value;displaying the two dimensional character with the scaled part as acustomized two dimensional character; displaying the one or more displaycharacter animations; for one said display character animation, applyingkeyframe data in the associated animation object data to the characterparts objects; displaying the customized two dimensional character as ananimation according to the keyframe data.
 11. The method of claim 10,further comprising one or more two dimensional asset vector graphicobjects for associated character parts objects, the method furthercomprising rendering the one or more two dimensional vector graphicobjects as one or more images of the assets, and displaying the assetimage as a layer for a respective character part, accepting a dragoperation to change scale of the one or more asset images, andconverting the displayed scaled asset into adjusted parameter values ofthe corresponding geometric shape to display as a customized twodimensional character; and storing the adjusted parameter in the graphiccharacter object temporary storage as a percentage change from thedefault value.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein character partsobjects include a joint and the keyframe data includes a sequence ofjoint rotation angles.
 13. The method of claim 11, further comprisinginteracting with the customized two dimensional character having thedisplayed asset image and replacing the asset image with a new assetimage for a respective character part, and displaying the customized twodimensional character with the replaced asset.